Back in November 2017, I suffered a stroke which ultimately led to me having to receive open heart surgery to replace my Aortic Valve in March 2018. As you can imagine, this was a very challenging and confusing time for me and my family.

Thankfully, I have made a full recovery since November 2017 and returned to work in July 2018.

My colleagues at work and I have decided to raise some funds for the Stroke unit in Dundee and we have decided to do the 10k step challenge during July and August.

Why the Stroke Unit you ask? As I said this was a very confusing time for me upon admission to the Unit and the care, compassion, patience and understanding that the entire unit showed me, helped me appreciate the simply fantastic support they provide to all patients. I learned to appreciate the efforts they go to whilst under extreme demand and was overwhelmed as to the level of support they provide on a one to one basis, despite the constraints they work with on a daily basis.

What will the funds be used for you ask? During my stay, I was offered various support tools such as Ipads, board games and these sorts of materials assist patients in learning how to use the affected parts of their bodies and also serve as a vital tool to allow patients to communicate with the medical team and family when their speech has been greatly affected by the a stroke.

So for me, it all started in the Stroke Unit in Dundee and they helped me understand and prepare me for the journey I was about to go on.

Any amount you wished to donate will be greatly appreciated and received by me and my colleagues.

Finally, thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Best wishes,

Luke.